


Our hearts

by BWJulie



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Orphanage, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Orphanage, Orphans, Romance, unbetad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-04-01 00:09:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3998458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BWJulie/pseuds/BWJulie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was just a twelve year old boy the first time he met her. She was seven years old, a little pink thing wrapped in a yellow blanket with burnt edges.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is an experiment, the little prologue of a story I really hope you'll like.  
> It's unbetad, all mistakes are mine and I am sure you are going to find lots of them.  
> Please be gentle and patient.

He was just a twelve year old boy the first time he met her. A tall boy with brown hair and brown eyes and a beautiful smile that few had a chance to see.  
She was seven years old. A little pink thing wrapped in a yellow blanket with burnt edges. 

'She is Rose, her family died in a fire a few days ago. Be kind.' Announced Mrs Jones with a stern voice.

She was given a bed and immediately left alone with the other children.  
They studied her for a few moments, and she covered her head with the dirty blanket while a quiet sob broke the silence.  
He knew that they would leave her alone after a while, the wooden toys were a better occupation so, when even Jimmy- one of Mrs Jones' favourite- lost his interest, he went to his bed and retrieved a glass of water with a little stale biscuit he had been able to save for that night.

When she hesitantly lifted one side of the blanket the first thing she saw was his friendly smile.  
Her eyes were red, and he offered her the biscuit.  
She quickly took it, disappearing once again under the blanket.  
After a while she stuck her head out - the only trace of the biscuit being a few crumbles stuck in the corner of her mouth - and smiled at him.

'What's your name?' She asked. 

'I don't have one. Sometimes they call me John, or just boy.'

Her face was a mix of confusion and sadness.  
He offered her the glass of water and she took it drinking it quickly.

'Don't, it will hurt your stomach' 

She stopped and looked at him in a strange way. 

'Are you a Doctor?'

He laughed and shook his head.

'The doctors at the hospital, they gave me food and drink, and…'

She closed her eyes as she started crying again.  
He hugged her as he often saw Mrs Jones do with some of her favourite kids, a gesture never reserved for him.  
After a couple of minutes she stopped and looked at him with her big hazel eyes.

'John?' He winced.

'I don't like it.' He blurted out, finally saying what he thought every time someone called him that.

'Why don't you have a name?'

Her little hands were still clutching his worn out sweater.

'They found me in a street corner when I was still a baby. They call John every kid with no name.'

'What name do you like?'

She left him and sat on the bed, clutching the yellow blanket to her chest. 

'I don't know.' He stared at her, confused and surprised, while she studied him deep in thought.

'My father always says that a name should mean something. Should represent you. He called me Rose because he says I am the most beautiful thing he ever saw.' 

She said the last bit raising her chin high, proud, and he laugh.  
Then she remembered once again why she was there, and her eyes filled with tears.  
This time she hugged him and he answered in kind. 

'What should my name be, then?' He asked when the sobs ended.

'Doctor.'

He smiled and something In his chest tightened.  
She smiled too, a smile that he reckoned had to be the brightest thing in the world.

 

 

The last time they spoke, he was eighteen and had a bag on his shoulder. 

'Why are you leaving? ' Her eyes were sad and she was trying not to cry.  
His heart broke a little.

'I can't stay here, I've come of age, I need to go.' 

'Can I come with you?'

He shook his head and tears finally fell down her cheeks. 

'When you'll be old enough I'll come back and we'll travel together ' He whispered in her ear hugging her tight.

'Is that a promise? ' He nodded and she finally seemed to calm down a little.

'See you Rose.' He murmured opening the door and stepping outside. 

No one had come to say goodbye, only her. The only light in that dark place.

'See you, my Doctor.'


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to those of you who gave this little thing a chance, and to those who left kudos and comments.  
> This is a short chapter, but I hope the others will be longer.  
> Unfortunately I don't have a beta, so you are going to find lots of mistakes.  
> Thank you again.

Rose sat silently under one of the trees in the little park behind the orphanage. She had always felt suffocated inside the old building, and she and the Doctor had always sought any excuse to go outside. They used to sit exactly under that tree. She missed him a lot. The first year without him had passed slowly, every minute of every day had seemed like ours and she hadn't felt so lonely since her parents had died. But it was on that day, 4 years after his departure that everything started to fall apart.

She was one of the older 'guests' - as Mrs Jones liked to call them in front of outsiders - so she was often sent to run errands in the village. It wasn’t exactly safe for a 17 years old girl to go alone, but no one cared. It was in the village that she heard about Mrs Jones' problems for the first time.  
'They say she is completely broken. Poor soul, she spent all her money taking care of those children. ' Said some women near the bakery. Rose rolled her eyes at the admiration in their voices, but she couldn't help feeling worried.  
'She plays card at night down at my father's pub. Her debts are huge Rosie, I think she is going to leave soon.' Told her Jack the same day.

He was a beautiful man around the Doctor's age, and had always been kind to her.  
When the Doctor was still with her, they used to sneak out at night to meet with him. He shared all the stories from the village, all the gossip and the scandals he knew thanks to his father's drunk patrons, and when he could he brought them some cake or biscuits.  
He was the only friend she had in the village, and had never lied to her. 

Mostly because of that, but also because she knew that Mrs Jones sneaked out every night, she was inclined to believe her friend's words.  
The rumors had grew more consistent during that week.  
Mrs Jones had spent almost all days in her bedroom and they were left to hope or despair. 

So she sat under the tree thinking about the future, her only desire being to close her eyes and sleep till the next month.  
She grabbed some dirt with her hand, letting it fall down again on the ground trying to think about possible solution. She went to supper with her heart heavy and her eyes red.

That night all ended.

The next morning nothing was the same.

'She left, Rose! Mrs Jones has left! ' the sisters were running from room to room in a state of confusion and anger. Rose could hardly recognize them, usually so composed and calm.  
'What are we going to do?' Continued Martha, more than a hint of panic in her voice.  
'I don't know…I…she was in charge…she…I don't know.'  
'I heard one of the sisters saying that she took all the money of the donations. It's all lost Rose…'  
'The sisters won't be able to keep us..' Martha started to cry and Rose could do nothing but hug her tight. 

No one was really fond of Mrs Jones, but the news of her sudden departure had put everybody in a state of despair.  
The sisters, who were assigned to Mrs Jones' orphanage as a 'donation' from the church in order to help her in her noble cause, were now writing desperately, sending letter after letter.  
Rose had never liked them, they were too hard on the kids, but couldn't help hoping that they could stay and keep the orphanage open. The alternative was too horrible.  
'All those little kids..' She said that evening to Martha.  
'They can't survive on the streets, and we know if the orphanage closes, that is going to be our destiny.'  
'We must think of something...'

Rose was glad to have Martha by her side, she had a big heart, something she had learned very few people truly had.  
She had arrived some months before the Doctor's departure, her family had been killed during a robbery, and the orphanage became her new home. It wasn't long before the three of them became friends. She was too good and afraid to follow them during their secret outings, but was very eager to listen to what they had done, and the dreamy look on her face told Rose and the Doctor that sooner or later she would join them.  
But everything had changed.  
And everything was about to fall apart. 

 

That night several older kids disappeared, they escaped from the windows probably convinced that it would have been better than what was about to happen. 

 

The next morning the news came. 

 

'We can't take all of you.' Said one of the sisters. In her defence, she seemed about to cry, but that didn't change much for Rose.  
'We are going to take the little ones and move them to the orphanage on the other side of the river, but that is all. The orphanage is full, and you are going to have to take care of yourselves ' continued the other sister, the one Rose hated the most.  
' We can't take care of ourselves! How can we take care of ourselves, we are just…' Tears fell down Martha's cheeks while Rose had to bite her tongue in order not to do the same thing.  
'I'm sorry.' Was the only reply.

They ran outside and Martha gave away every pretence of control and started sobbing desperately.  
Rose's heart sunk as they hugged.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to Tytteas, she is a wonderful beta!  
> All mistakes are still mine.

The Doctor was late. He wasn't merely a few days late, no, he was nearly 365 days late, almost an entire year. Rose Tyler would soon be nineteen. Six years had passed since he had left her behind, and he didn't know whether she was still waiting for him or whether she had already left. The little town by the orphanage was bursting with life, the spring making everyone feel cheerful, forgetting their misery. The Doctor trudged through the village without stopping, entirely unnoticed by everyone. 

It wasn't his fault that he was late, not entirely, he hadn't been in England and had had some problems with the transport back home. 

'I should have left earlier,' he mumbled to himself for the thousandth time. He couldn't help but feel guilty, however the closer he got to the building, the more his guilt was overpowered by unadulterated excitement. 

He was finally about to see her again.

 

When he at long last knocked at the heavy wooden door, he was sure his heart was about to burst right out of his chest. While he waited he noticed that something about the place seemed very different. It looked like everything had been left to its own devices, weeds were growing everywhere and even the door seemed about to fall down. 

No one answered, so he knocked again. 

A loud noise followed by a groan startled him and he moved his gaze to the second floor just in time to see an old man's head poke out from one of the windows.

'Hey Lad! I'm a little busy up here, what do you want?'

'Where is everyone? Isn't this the orphanage?' The Doctor was sure of it, forgetting this place wasn't exactly an option, not for one who had called it home for as long as he had.

'Oh, but they're all gone lad! It's been years, I reckon.'

'An-and what about the children?'

Where’s Rose? His mind was suddenly working fast, conjuring up all sorts of scenarios of what could have happened to her, thinking of where she could be now.

'I don't know, haven't been here that long, maybe they left, or maybe they live in the village, why do you ask?' 

The Doctor shook his head too shocked to answer, so he just thanked him, and was about to leave when the man spoke again. 

'You don't look like a particularly strong lad, but I think you might do.' 

He stared back at the man, confusion written all over his face.

'This is an Inn...' The old man paused, his gaze fixed on a spot a few feet from where The Doctor was standing, a spot where several blackberry bushes were hiding something that resembled an old broken chair. 

'Well...' He shook his head. 'It will be an Inn, once we fix a few thing here and there...anyway we could use some help, me and my niece. I can't pay you much, but if you're interested... '

The Doctor barely registered what the man had said, his guilt had come back full force and though he normally would have happily agreed, today that would not be the case.

'Thank you, but I'm not looking for a job. Good luck, though.'

He then quickly left his old orphanage and re-entered the village, heading straight for the pub to ask some questions. Rose must still be here, she would never leave knowing he was coming back for her. Sure, he was a bit late, but that’s what happens! Rose would understand, wouldn’t she?

He had travelled throughout Europe, all the while working hard, helping a lot of people, forming several new friendships across countries, seeing some of the vast beauty the world had to offer. Beauty he was now ready and eager to share with her . 

But it seemed too many years had passed, and now the orphanage was closed and he feared that something might have gone wrong, that she had been forced to leave the village, or something worse. The closer he got to the pub, the more he worried.

He needed to know.

The Doctor only knew few people in the village, they had rarely been allowed to leave the orphanage except for the occasional errand, but the one person whom he knew could help him was just the man he found behind the bar.

'Jack?'

He was taller and his shoulders broader, but Jack had the same mischievous smile and his eyes were shining just as the Doctor remembered.

'Doctor?' Jack’s trademark smile was shortly directed at him, before a shadow hid it completely. 

'What brings you back after all this time? We thought you were long gone. '

His voice had turned cold, he had never before spoken like this to him.

'You know why I came back.' The Doctor replied with a deep sigh. 

'She is not here.' Jack said as he poured some ale into a cup and shoved it in front of the Doctor.

'She left?' 

'You're a bit late, aren't you? Did you really think she was just going to sit here moping, simply waiting for you to maybe return?' His voice had calmed down but for someone like Jack that only spoke volumes of how angry he was.

The Doctor tried to form a reply, but he wasn’t even sure if he was going to try to explain himself, or prompt for further informations about Rose's whereabouts, however Jack interrupted him before he could decide.  
'Have you heard what's happened to the orphanage? '

'I went there…there was this man..Th-this old man,' the Doctor took a deep breath trying to calm down. 'He told me it has been closed for years.' 

Jack watched him carefully for a moment before moving towards the end of the bar to service two patrons who were seated there. He then moved back towards the Doctor meanwhile shifting his gaze all around the room as if looking for someone.  
'Hey Mickey! You're on your own for a while, I need to do something! ' 

The Doctor barely glanced at the young man that was nodding back at Jack, before he swiftly followed his old friend into the storage room.  
It wasn't very spacious, every wall was covered in shelves full of bottles of any kind, but it offered all the privacy and quietness they needed.

'Mrs Jones used to sneak out at night, did you know?' Jack started saying while taking a seat in an old chair, he motioned for his friend to take the chair next to him, but too neverous to be able to sit still the Doctor kept standing as he nodded in reply.

'Me and Rose tried following her once, but we lost her before we reached the village. We thought she had a secret lover.'

'She came here to play cards... '  
Jack took a bottle of beer from one of the shelves and started sipping it, keeping his eyes fixed on the Doctor who was fast starting to lose his patience. He didn't need the whole damn story yet, he just needed to know if Rose was ok and where he could find her, but it looked as if Jack was going to keep on punishing him by making him wait.

'She lost lots of money, donations' money, and when it all became too much for her to handle she left. The sisters took the little ones to another orphanage while the older children were left here, alone.'

The Doctor clenched his fists, and there was no mistaking the storm brewing in his eyes, unfocused but hard. For a moment he was lost in thought, guilt dancing with newfound anger.

'Jack..' when he finnaly spoke again his voice sounded a little rough, which was warning enough to make Jack continue the story and at long last put his friend out of his misery .

'She is ok, don't worry. But I won't lie, she's been through some horrible things , and knowing that you could have spared her some of that, knowing that you could have kept your promise and….'  
'Where is she?' the Doctor interrupted him, his voice raised to match his friend's. Jack stood up fixing him with a hard look.  
'Why should I tell you? Who is going to assure me that you won’t hurt her again? You? As if your word means anything! ' He laughed, one of those hard laughs completely devoid of cheer, and the Doctor flinched.  
'You really think I wanted things to go like this? That I came back late on purpose? You actually think that?'  
He slumped into the chair burying his face in his hands. His voice was that of a desperate man, of someone who had nothing more to lose.  
'I had honestly planned on being here exactly on time, Jack…I would never …it’s Rose. I truly believed she was safe or I would never have left in the first place! I....you have to believe me damn it!'  
Jack watched him carefully. He knew life hadn't been easy for the Doctor at first, and he knew how important Rose had been in making it better, in making the Doctor the strong and cheerful man Jack knew.  
Several minutes passed in silence, the faint noises coming from the pub being the only sound to break the quiet.  
In the end Jack broke the silence.  
'What if she doesn't want to see you?'  
There was hesitation in his voice, it looked like he was changing his mind about not telling him and the Doctor saw it as his last chance to obtain his friend's help, so he stood and grabbed Jack's shoulders. 

'I have to try, Jack, I at the very least owe her an explanation!' He couldn't just give her up without a fight!  
The desperation in his voice and the manic glint in his eyes gave Jack a bit of hope, made him think that maybe, just maybe the Doctor wasn't really to be faulted for his late return. Seeing him this heartbroken, looking every bit the lost boy he once was really was awful, even if a little part of him still thought the Doctor deserved to feel at least a portion of the pain Rose still kept hidden in her heart. 

'She lives here, but she just went to visit a friend and she won't be back for a couple of days.' Jack sighed keeping his eyes sternly fixed on the Doctor.  
'I want you to promise me something though, and this time you'll damn well keep it.'  
The Doctor let go of him, nodding frantically, ready to promise just about anything.  
'Once you've explained yourself, if she tells you to leave, you leave immediately, and you leave for good.'  
Their eyes fixed in stalemate as the Doctor took a deep breath. All he wanted was to see Rose, to explain everything, to tell her how sorry he is, and…  
'Give me your word, Doctor.'  
Another deep breath.  
'Ok, if she tells me to leave, I'll leave.'


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge, huge thank you to Tytteas!
> 
> All mistakes are still mine.

The Doctor was good at a lot of things, but waiting patiently with his head in his hands wasn't one of them.   
Which is why, since Jack refused to tell him more about Rose and what had happened in the years they spent apart, he decided to find something to do to bide his time until her return.

Walking towards the old orphanage, most of his ealier agitation now gone, he finally found himself able to properly take in the surrounding scenery.   
To his left side, a few feet from the path, there was a very high and strong tree that he and Rose used to climb to get away from the others. He smiled to himself remembering the first time Martha had joined them as well, she had been brave and had kept on climbing to the top even after almost falling down. 'Maybe she is with Rose…' He thought a little ashamed of himself for forgetting to ask Jack about her.

He was abruptley pulled out of his thoughts by a loud and annoyed voice belonging to a woman with fiery ginger hair and fierce eyes. 

'Hey! What do you want? It's private property! ' 

The Doctor realised he had reached the soon to be Inn and was only standing a few feet from the woman. She had her hands on a broken chair trapped in the blackberry bushes, and was probably trying to free it. 

'Oh, hello! I'm the Doctor.' He walked the short distance separating them with a friendly smile on his face while she just kept staring at him with a skeptical look. 

'I'm…I came here this morning, there was an old man..OH! You must be his niece! You see, he offered me a job, but I refused since I thought I -' 

'You're a doctor?' She let go of the chair and cleaned her hands on her dress before planting one of those hands on her hip, the same skeptical look still fixed on her face. 

'Well no..I am not a proper doctor. I am The Doctor. But I can help you with this ' He waved his hand in the general direction of the big building. 

'You know, I used to live here and I know that with some-' 

'Who are you?' She interrupted him again and the Doctor was sure the irritation in her voice was increasing by the second. He was starting to get a little frustrated with the situation, when the old man he had met that morning joined them.

'Donna? What is happening, we need to hurry or..'

He looked tired but smiled sincerely upon seeing the Doctor. 

'You're back! You've changed your mind, have you? I knew it, good lad! ' The smile grew bigger while he walked towards them, then he placed a hand on the Doctor's shoulder as if they were old friends. 

'Oh by the way I’m Wilf, what was your name again son?' The Doctor smiled but the woman -Donna- didn't look very pleased.

'He calls himself a Doctor but apparently he isn't one. '

'Exactly! Well,Doctor is my name, but I do have some knowledge about medicine although I do not-'

Donna snorted and gave her grandfather a sharp look.

'Oh come on Donna, he can help! We don't need a medical doctor anyway, so don't be rude.'  
She gave a last not-so-kind look to the Doctor before speaking with a tone that left no room for doubt about how little she liked their new acquaintance.

'You want to help us?' 

The Doctor nodded, a big doopey grin on his face. 

'I'm not sure how long I am going to stay here, but for now, yes, I would love to!.'

Wilf's grin matched the Doctor's.  
'He is a traveller, Donna! We'll have help and entertainment, I am sure he'll have such wonderful stories to tell us!'  
Her eyes were warm when she looked at her grandfather and it seemed that a smile was going to appear at any moment, but she recovered quickly and the Doctor found himself fixed once again by a pair of blue hard eyes. 

'You can start by getting rid of that chair, and then come inside. ' 

She took a few steps towards him.

'But if you try to play tricks on us, you are going to regret it.'  
The Doctor gulped, just a little bit terrified, while he and Wilf watched as she made her way towards the main entrance leaving them alone.

'Don't take it personally lad, she might be harsh, but she has her reasons. Anyway, be nice and do your work and everything is going to be alright.'  
The Doctor nodded, still staring at the door through which Donna had disappeared. 

 

Working, as he had predicted, helped diverting his thoughts away from Rose. Well…it helped him to not think constantly about Rose.

The first day went by without complications, surely one wouldn't call it complications that Donna made him do every heavy job nor her being a bit rude to him every time she saw him, right? He was convinced it was some kind of test, so he just obeyed and tried with all his power not to answer in kind to her subtle insults and not so subtle provocations. Mrs Jones used to tell him he was a rude boy at least once a day so he considered it a huge win to not having said a single rude thing to Donna the whole day.   
At the end of the day they shared a modest meal together during which the Doctor shared some of his favourite stories from his travels, and come night they offered him one of the beds that had once belonged to the orphanage's 'guests '.  
It wasn't the one he used to sleep in, he could tell, because he and Rose had once cut their names into the wood of his bed, and the realisation brought on an odd feeling of sadness mixed with relief.  
The best and worst nights of his life had been spent in that bed.  
Sometimes, when everybody else was deep asleep, Rose would climb into his bed and they would cuddle fighting off each other's nightmares. Oh he used to sleep heavenly with his little Rose curled up beside him.   
During his travels he was only ever able to catch a couple of hours of sleep each night, which he had learned to get used to. This night wasn't any different and he only managed to sleep for an hour, spending the rest of the night trying to fix the broken window near the bed without making too much noise.

 

The second day was even harder than the first, but he was happy to be of help and Wilf seemed extremely excited to have him with them. 

That night though, sleep seemed to be avoiding him entirely, so he got up and made his way to the kitchen.   
It was one of the first rooms Donna and Wilf had fixed; there was a big table with a couple of chairs in the far corner of the room just opposite to a big fireplace, and all the cabinets had been filled with pots, plates and food. He was about to fill the old kettle with water when he was startled by the very same voice that had been giving him orders all day.

'I knew it!' 

The kettle fell to the floor with a loud noise, and he turned around to face her, just about ready to finally unleash his rudeness at her, but promptly stopping himself upon seeing her, his irritation rapidly fading into confusion.   
Donna had a thing in her hand that resembled an old knife, which was pointed towards him. 

'What?!' They said together. 

Apparently he wasn't the only one confused. 

'What are you doing with a knife?' He said waving his hand toward the thing in her hand. 

'Me? What are you doing with that old kettle?' She lowered the knife, and her confusion vanished when she saw the innocuous cup and tea on the kitchen counter. 

'You are making tea.' She stated as if that was the last thing she expected him to be doing.

'Of course I'm making tea! Why else would someone come into the kitchen in the middle of the night! You ha- you have a knife!'  
He was almost screaming, his voice definitely bordering on squeaky.

'I thought...'  
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before moving to sit down in one of the chairs.  
She cradled her head in her hands and he moved to stand beside her, still quite confused and getting just a bit irritated.   
When she raised her head again the Doctor was sure she was about to burst into tears, but then….

'You are making tea!' She said before starting to laugh.

He wasn't expecting that. Then again nothing about this encounter was as expected. 

'You a- you are making tea!' She said again continuing to laugh. He took a seat too, not the one next to hers though, since she still had the knife firmly clutched in her hand. 

'I thought you were stealing from us!' She said after regaining some semblance of control. 

'WHAT?' 

'I thought you were…I don't know, stealing food or..'

His confusion now completely gone, the Doctor wasn't entirely sure if he felt more insulted, hurt or just angry at her continued wariness of him.   
He had gathered she didn't exactly trust him, but…

'I am sorry.' Donna whispered, and he could tell she truly meant it.  
He stared at her face, her eyes were moist and it looked like she was trying hard to keep the tears from falling but since it seemed like she wanted to say something else, he just nodded.

'I…' She took a deep breath. 'I was engaged once.' 

He raised his eyebrows, a little surprised by the turn the conversation was taking. Donna wasn't looking at him, she kept her eyes fixed on a spot on the wooden table and her voice was sad, completely different from the one she used to boss him around all day. 

'The morning of our wedding, we discovered that..that he had left, taking with him some of the jewellery my mother left me when she died. That is why…I don’t trust men, Doctor. I can't. And you…I mean how could you truly be here just to help us! We can't even pay you yet! We sold the rest of the jewellery to buy this God forsaken building and get away from everything…you can't-'  
She burst out laughing again. 'You were just making tea!'   
This time when she stopped laughing, he didn't hesitate in reaching out to her. 

'I'm sorry, Donna.' He grabbed her hand in a comforting gesture and she let him, gently squeezing back his hand with a tentative smile.

'I am sorry, I've been rude to you and you are...' He interrupted her with a huge grin.

'A kind gentleman who has been mistreated and basically used as a slave? Why yes, I do believe I am.'  
The sad mood seemed to disappear with her loud laugh and they spent the rest of the night talking about his travels, until Donna fell asleep just as the sun was starting to rise.

 

The next day he went back to the village.  
He didn't know when exactly Rose would be back, but since he had to buy some supplies he decided to visit Jack desperately hoping to receive good news.   
'I'm sorry, she sent me a letter saying that her friend is taken ill, so she’s going to stay there and help her until she’s feeling better.'  
Jack smiled upon seeing the Doctor's crestfallen expression. 

'Oh come on, already tired of waiting? I'm not saying that you deserve it, but you really do.'   
The man winked at the Doctor who shot him a dark withering look. 

Traveling had become the Doctor's way of life, and staying in one place for too long made him restless.  
But Jack was right. She had waited years for him, and he would do the same for her now. 

 

Another couple of days passed without much happening; one evening Jack came to visit and he met Wilf and Donna, quickly earning himself a slap from the woman and an amused look from the old man.   
The Doctor wasn't surprised by Jack's flirting the day he met Donna, but was indeed surprised when his friend started to comeby more often to bring him news from Rose ( 'Her friend is still ill, I'm sorry Doctor '), or more precisely, to visit Donna.  
She had started to change since the night she told him about her ex fiancé, laughing louder and smiling more often. With Jack though, it seemed as if there could be something more than just friendship.  
During Jack’s visits her smiles held something different, something tender and her mood was always vastly improved in the wake of their interactions. .  
Wilf's joy at the positive alterations in his niece were very evident, he had hoped and hoped to once again see her happy. If the Doctor had thought the old man happy when they first met, now he was brimming with uncontained joy at the prospect of having his strong and confident niece back.

It was one morning, about a week after Jack's first visit, that Donna called him with a oddly excited voice, from the now empty garden in front of the house. 

'You have a guest!' She fairly yelled at him while he put away his tea and walked toward the door, a little sick that Jack kept using him as an excuse to see Donna, when it was so obvious that they were falling for each other.

'Jack I've told you, we have to wor-' 

He stopped just outside the door. 

It wasn't Jack.

'Rose' 

'Hello Doctor.'


End file.
